NFL Picks: Week 9 & a rant about Louisville

Just a quick note about last night's West Virginia/Louisville game. Great game. Loved it. Tons of offense and very exciting players. Pat White, Steve Slaton, Brian Brohm are future NFL players and are as good as anybody in the country. The two team's defenses? Not so much. But to say Louisville couldn't compete or even beat Michigan or Ohio St. is flat out stupid. I would think it would be a game just like this where both offenses march up and down the field at will. If Louisville wins out they deserve to be playing for the national title. Ok then. Now that I've said my peace here's the NFL picks for the week:


^= home team
Rams^ over the Chiefs
Sure the Chiefs and Larry Johnson are playing well lately, but the Rams are at home and that's the kicker for me. They'll get shredded again against the run but Bulger is playing well enough that the Rams will outscore the Chiefs.

Giants^over the Texans
It's time to stop talking about Tiki Barber's retirement and start talking about how well he's playing. He and Brandon Jacobs are enough of threat that Eli Manning can occasionally hit a receiver.

Jaguars^ over the Titans
Leftwich or Garrard? Doesn't matter because the defense will win this game.

Bucs^ over the Saints
Tampa will surprise another team. This time it will be Brees and the boys.

Cowboys over the Redskins^
I really want to pick against the Cowboys on the road this week but the Redskins haven't given much reason for optimism this year.

Bears^ over the Dolphins
Another mauling.

Bills^ over the Packers
Tough one to call. I'm going with Buffalo at home.

Bengals over the Ravens^
The Bengals get back on track by beating a tough defense.

Falcons over the Lions^
Does Vick continue to impress? Against the Lions I say yes.

Vikings over the 49ers^
I want to say the 49er defense is going to improve. But that would be stupid.

Steelers^ over the Broncos
A week more to clear the cobwebs and Roethlisberger ends up giving the Broncos their second straight loss.

Chargers^over the Browns
Over before it starts.

Patriots^ over the Colts
Game of the week of course. It's the Colt's run defense that will finally kill them. Maroney and Dillon will rack up huge yardage and Brady will get the best of Manning again.

Seahawks^ over the Raiders
Raider resurgence? Maybe not.


Last week: 8-6 (57%)

Overall: 78-35 (69%)

NFL Thoughts:Week 8

Here's what I thought about this week's action:

Chargers 38 / Rams 24
As a Ram fan this game was a painful reminder that their defense is still an Achilles heel. They couldn't stop the run at all and Rivers passed the ball effectively when he needed to. Still, despite my team getting spanked, I'm strangely optimistic. I consider the Chargers one of the better teams in the league and yet the Rams were able to still move the ball on them. And you know who Bulger reminds me of? Drew Bledsoe. No not the dude in the visor that's standing on Dallas' sidelines, but the early version in New England that picked apart defenses. Like that younger Bledsoe, Bulger is immobile but fairly accurate and a has good pocket presence. Which means of course the Rams better enjoy his production while it lasts. Charge QB Philip Rivers has that same feel behind center but obviously has more mobility. I continue to be impressed with him.


Colts 34 / Broncos 31
I'm sure all of Denver was saying the same thing I was when the Bronco's Mike Bell broke that big run and they went down and scored their last TD in this game. --- "Scored too fast, left too much time for Manning". So of course Manning carved them up and set Vinatieri up for the game winner. Best game of the day to watch in my opinion. Plenty of Manning to Reggie Wayne (10 rec, 138 yards 3 Tds) --which is nice to see because he really is nearly equal to Harrison in talent---plus like Harrison he seems like a nice guy. Also plenty of camera shots of Mike Shanahan giving us the usual creepy eyes --- an added bonus during Halloween time. The Broncos have to kick themselves over this one because Plummer played great (for the first time all season), and their running game shredded the Colt defense (not a shocker). Had their defense played up to par they win this in a laugher.


Falcons 29 / Bengals 27
If Vick keeps this up he and his Falcons may just be back on my "must Tivo" list. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Vick is on fire. He has never had two weeks like this his entire career (7 passing TDs). This is the QB we thought we were getting when the hype began 5 years ago. He was going to revolutionize the position as a threat with his legs and arm. Somewhere between balls being thrown at guy's feet or overthrown by 15 yards that promise got a bit waylaid. Now it's back and what are we to think? Is it all just a big tease before he crashes back to his one-dimensional self? Since I'm really not a Falcon guy, I don't give a crap. But as a football fan I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
Seriously though would you have bet Vick would have a better passing day than Palmer?


Cowboys 35 / Panthers 14
We would be silly to write the Panthers off this season but they sure are a weird team so far aren't they? They gave the Cowboys a little help with all their mistakes but still I'm mildly impressed with the performance of Tony Romo. He's mobile and made some nice throws. If he turns out to be decent the rest of the season and helps send Dallas to the playoffs I may just have to stick my head in a blender.


Ravens 35 / Saints 22
It's no surprise that Reggie Bush didn't break out against the Baltimore defense. Still his rushing stats for the season are a real disappointment so far. If he ends up as just a receiving threat from here on out then he won't be quite the steal of the draft that New Orleans thought he was. The worst thing about this win is that now Raven coach Brian Billick's already inflated ego just got bigger. I'm not buying the offensive genius tag he got years ago in Minnesota. His Baltimore years have effectively popped that balloon. So the fact that they scored 35 this week doesn't exactly have me quaking in my boots if I'm playing them next. Also, if you tell me that you think Jamal Lewis is back to his old self then I'd have to call you a liar. Not to your face of course.


Raiders 20 / Pittsburgh 13
So that's a little weird. Oakland just beat the Super Bowl champs. The Raiders starting QB, Andrew Walter, was 5 for 14 and an interception. That's right. 5 complete passes. Stew on that one for a minute Pittsburgh. After looking fantastic last week (at least until he looked not so fantastic being carried off the field) Roethlisberger played like he couldn't remember his own name let alone the playbook. Yes that was the Raiders you lost to Ben. No I didn't stutter. Yep, the one with Art Shell coaching.


Bears 41 / 49ers 10
I guess Grossman is not one to dwell on the past is he? After one of the worst QB performances I've ever seen (last week), Rex returned to his 06 form and torched the 49er defense. That is if you want to call what they had out there as 'defense'. The 49er offense is slowly coming along but their defense is definitely a long way from competing. Chicago meanwhile still boasts a ferocious "D" and as a team they are the class of the NFC.


Giants 17 / Bucs 3
Plaxico Burress and his one handed TD snag was the catch of the day. Everything else about this game was forgettable.


Packers 31 / Cardinals 14
So when does Dennis Green get canned? Soon? The end of the season? Leinart's game against Chicago was such a tease. Now he's had two straight crapola games. Bummer for him. Meanwhile, I love that Packer RB Ahman Green had another good game. And who the hell is Vernand Morency? All he did for the Packers was average 9 yards a carry on his way to 101 yards. If Favre can get that kind of running game consistantly then the Packers are back in business. ----Of course it was Arizona. And they suck.


Chiefs 35 / Seahawks 28
Gracias K.C. That was a much needed Seattle loss for Ram playoff hopes. They kept me guessing though after they decided to make it interesting in the 4th quarter. Still, how about the backups QBs in this game? Huard's been playing like a starter this year (continues to amaze me) but Seneca Wallace showed some good instincts out there as well. He made some dumb mistakes but overall Seattle has to be encouraged by his play. They will need that in the next few weeks. Seattle is still a very good team. They are hurting with injuries right now but I'm not counting them out yet. If they can survive a couple of game without their stars they'll be primed for a stretch run. Damn them.


Jaguars 13 / Eagles 6
Was this as ugly as that score sounds? How have the Eagles fallen so low after a great start to the season? I'm baffled by their poor play. I know Garrard is going to get support to supplant Leftwich as the Jags QB but I'm not convinced he would be the answer either. He's had plenty of opportunity to impress before and he just seems to have valuable backup written all over him. But if your backup is better than your starter ( a real possibility in Jacksonville) then what do you do? Anyway, nice game by Fred Taylor (15 carries 103 yards) and another great game by the Jags' defense.


Titans 28 / Texans 22
Didn't watch a lick of this but apparently the Sage Rosenfel era has started in Houston. I mean has David Carr ever thrown 3 TDs in 17 minutes before? Start looking over your shoulder dude.


Browns 20 / Jets 13
Maybe I was wrong when I called Plaxico Burress' grab the catch of the day. The Jet's Chris Baker sure made a heck of reception at the end of this game. And I do think it was a reception. He would have come down in bounds in the endzone if he hadn't been pushed out. Terrible call by the refs that screwed the Jets. This is one of those stupid things that need to be fixed in the rulebook. Because it's a judgment call it's not reviewable. Say what? This seems like a classic example of what should be reviewable. What the hell is replay for if not to help calls like this. Time for a rule change.

NFL Picks: Week 8

Lots of games I'm interested in this week. Bengals/Falcons, Saints/Ravens, Chargers/Rams, Colts/Broncos are the ones that will be "must watch" status for me. Last week's picks didn't turn out so well (under 50% right) but I'm ready for a comeback. Without further adieu then:

^=home team

Bears^ over the 49ers
Was last week's game a hiccup for Grossman? The Bears should now know that you can't take any team lightly.

Bengals^ over the Falcons
Vick looked good last week but I'm taking Cincy at home.

Packers^over the Cardinals
So which Cardinal team will we see this week, the one that should have beat the Bears or the one that made the Raiders look playoff worthy? I'm going with something in between.

Titans^ over the Texans
Vince gets his revenge for draft day snubbing.

Seahawks over the Chiefs^
I never thought whether or not Damon Huard started would affect how I picked a game. I was wrong. If Huard plays I'm going with the Chiefs. But if it's Croyle as the starter against Seneca Wallace for the "Hawks" then is Larry Johnson the deciding factor? I say no. Seattle wins in the battle of the backup versus the backup to the backup. Still I'll check in on Saturday and see if Huard's status has been updated. If he plays this pick changes Saturday night.

Saints^ over the Ravens
This will be another tough test for the Saints. Brees can't make mistakes or this will be a battle of field goals that they may lose.

Giants^ over the Bucs
I don't think Tampa's luck continues this week.

Eagles^ over the Jags
Speaking of luck, the Eagle's mojo has to change right? How do they keep losing on the last play of the game? The Jags have been decimated by injuries and it's going to hurt them again.

Chargers^ over the Rams
Why am I picking against my team this week? Merriman wants to work out some roid rage frustration, that's why.

Steelers over the Raiders^
Even if Charlie Batch were to play I'd still make this pick.

Jets over the Browns^
I haven't seen anything in the Browns this year to make me believe in them.

Colts over the Broncos^
Defense versus offense. Considering the Colts are on the road I should probably go with the defense. But I won't.

Panthers^over the Cowboys
It's a good time to play the Cowboys. They are still a good team but it will take a few games for Romo to get settled.

Patriots over the Vikings^
The Vikings came through for me last week against the Seahawks. Can they do it again against another team I despise? I hope so but I just don't pick against the Patriots very often. It's easier on my psyche.

Last week: 6-7 (46%)

Overall: 70-29 (70%)

Mid-Week NFL Thoughts

Random thoughts floating around in my noggin:

--Romo over Bledsoe? Who cares. As long as the "Boys" lose and I get more camera shots of Jerry Jones ready to cut his own fingers off, I'm good. A nervous and distraught Jerry Jones is much less creepy than a giddy Jerry Jones. Trust me on this one.


--I'm a semi-Charger fan but even so, Shawne Merriman's steroid defense is sounding lame. Aren't you sick of the "I didn't read the label on my supplement" defense? Can somebody please be a man and just admit they cheated and got caught? It's not hard. I mean I admit it when I get caught doing something stupid. On Sunday I snuck out of a church meeting and caught the second half of the Colts game. I got busted by the wife and totally took the heat like a man...or at least I didn't buckle at the knees and break into tears. That came later. Still you get the point. I told her the truth-- " I like football more than church". I even felt better after saying it. See Shawne, other than the fact that millions of dollars are on the line, our situations aren't so different. Come clean brother, come clean.


--I don't agree with or even want to read everything Peter King writes (anyone remember the dissertation on his bowel movements?) but Mr. Starbucks does occasionally write something that strikes a harmonious chord with me. His article on Monday discusses Giant Running Back Tiki Barber in detail. Specifically he calls Barber the best back in the land since 2004 and lays out a statistical chart to prove it. The Ladainian Tomlinson apologists are up in arms I'm sure over this. You hear over and over L.T. being called the best running back in football. It's sacrilege to suggest otherwise. After all, every announcer including Joe Theismann declares it to be so. Now I'm a big fan of Tomlinson and I agree that he is a great one, and even was the best back in football for a couple of years. Those years being 2002 and 2003. But bottom line, Barber is just as multi-talented, just as important to his team and statistics aside (although they are better too) he has been the better RB since 2004. So I think Peter King is right when he talks about Barber's place in football. But as alluded to earlier, I also think Peter King needs to lay off the Triple Grandes a bit more. Not only do I not want to know where he took his last dookie while he was on a plane but I also don't really care for his opinion that it makes sense for Tiki Barber to retire after this season. The idea is that we should all respect somebody's decision to walk away at the top of their game especially if that someone happens to be a banner human being with limitless potential in other areas. Screw that. It upset me when Barry Sanders retired, it angered me when Michael Jordan retired (the first time) and I'm pretty sure it would have pissed me off if I had been alive when Jim Brown retired. So while I don't put Tiki Barber up with those guys in terms of talent or career impact, he's still too damn good to retire. Some guys hang on too long and it's sad to see but I think it's a sin to leave when you're the best. At his age he's got another season or two left in him and then a whole life of living rich and sipping coffee on the broadcast set with King Latte.
---Of course I'm a selfish football fan and admittedly not worried about his health in those years ahead of him. Damn him for being so concerned about how he's going to get out of bed in ten years. I hate you Tiki Barber.......And I love you. -----I promised myself I wouldn't cry about this. Where are those freaking tissues when you need one?

NFL Thoughts: Week 7

The hypocrisy and inconsistency of NFL referees is just amazing. I watch NFL official Czar Mike Pereira defend the officials on a weekly basis to Rich Eisen of the NFL network when questioned on what seem to be ticky tack roughing the passer penalties. His point is that it's ultimately a judgement call and that the league's position is to err on the side of caution for the quarterbacks. And really I have no problem with that philosophy as long as some common sense is used (sadly lacking in the Bucs/Bengals game last week). But if that's the way officials have been told to call the game how do you explain the no-calls on hits taken by Payton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, and Matt Hasselbeck this week? Manning and Hasselbeck both took not so subtle "woops, I'm falling into your knees and it's not on purpose" hits that the officials ignored. Hasselbeck was injured and Manning was lucky he was not. Earlier Manning had taken a hit that bent him backward by the neck. Now nailing a QB hard is not in itself a penalty; (nor should it be) but watch that Manning hit again. It's ugly. He was pulled backwards by the neck and if that's not roughing the passer I don't know what is. Roethlisberger's actually happened a little bit faster and because he was sandwiched it was tough to see that he took helmet to helmet contact. But he did and it should have been called. I like hard hitting as much as the next football fan. But if your going to protect the most valuable commodity in the game (QB) then be consistent about it.

A few other observations around the league:

Bucs 23/Eagles 21
Great win by Tampa but I don't know that I'm sold on Gradkowski yet. I mean it was Ronde Barber's two picks for TDs and kicker Matt Bryant's 3 field goals that won if for them (holy crap a 62 yarder to win it?). Admittedly, Gradkowski got them in field goal position and he didn't have costly interceptions. And speaking of costly interceptions.....after looking great to start the season, Donovan McNabb has looked pretty average his last two starts. But Brian Westbrook deserves some ice cream after the game he put together (over 200 yards total offense today). When he's on the field the Eagles have some punch in the backfield. If he could keep from getting injured we would be talking about him like we do Ronde Barber's multi-dimensional twin. You know, the one that thinks he should retire after this season. Dork.


Chiefs 30/ Chargers 28
Another long field goal to win a game . This one was 53 yards and at Arrowhead stadium that's pretty amazing. The Chargers got themselves in a hole early but did a nice job of making a comeback. But Kansas City is not a great place to come from behind. I still think the Chiefs are an average team that will probably end up 8-8, but their QB (Huard) is surprising the hell out of me and they certainly shouldn't be taken lightly by anyone. San Diego limps away with more than a loss with the injury of linebacker Shaun Phillips who leads the team in sacks (6). He's out for at least a month and that really hurts. This comes with the news now that Shawne Merriman will be suspended for steroids (dumbass). The Chargers defense is going to be tested in the weeks ahead.


Falcons 41/Steelers 38
Nice game by Vick. We rip him for poor passing performances and so we should praise him for a nice one. As long as he doesn't announce that he's arrived as a passer as he did last season following a good game then we'll let bygones be bygones. But still there has never been any doubt about Vick's arm strength and the tight spirals he throws. If a QB could win games based on dazzle ability, the Falcons would have a stranglehold on the Super Bowl. Today Vick was accurate and the Falcons really did win this one through the air rather than the ground. And despite the Steelers record, they are a good team and before Roethlisberger was knocked out I thought he was playing pretty well. His last 2 games have been complete turnarounds compared to his early season play. I wonder if Ben ever watches "My Name is Earl"? And if so, does he ever wonder what he did to piss off karma?


Raiders 22 / Cards 9
Boy, I'm glad Denny Green helped his team deal with their anger issues this past week. That way now they can move on to their "pathetic loser" issues that loom large. And perhaps he can help Edgerrin James deal with his delusions. "I wasn't prepared for this, man, I really wasn't," James said. Really Edge? You weren't prepared to lose with a team that defines the L word? Don't worry dude, Coach Green will stop by to give you another tour of the stadium. That always cheers you up. He might even give you some cash for you troubles. It worked last time. -------By the way I believe we had a Randy Moss sighting.

Vikings 31 / Seahawks 13
Thank you Minnesota. Now I just hope the Rams can take advantage next week. How about that 95 yard run by Chester Taylor? Pleasantly surprising. You know the Vikes have a tough game against the Patriots next week but after that they play the 49ers, the Packers, the Dolphins, and the Cardinals. It's entirely conceivable that they are 8-3 when they play the Bears on Dec 3. I'm starting to rethink my prediction of Minnesota not making the playoffs. If they beat the teams they should, they could make things interesting.


Broncos 17 / Browns 7
Another great game by the Bronco defense. Another decent game by Bronco running back Tatum Bell (114 yards). Another crappy performance by Jake Plummer (48% completions, 2 Int). Winning sure makes a difference eh? Had the defense not been stellar so far, we would be witnessing the beginning of the Jay Cutler era.


Colts 36 / Redskins 22
As I mentioned earlier, Manning is lucky to come out of this one still standing. If he ever goes down, so do the Colts. It's nice to see the Colt offense really look good again. Harrison and Wayne were great and actually Colt rookie running back Joseph Addai is growing on me (85 yards, 7.7 avg). Maybe he'll become more of an option as the season progresses. They'll need a running game eventually. Unfortunately for the Redskins things are only going to get worse. Their remaining schedule is brutal. They have Dallas, Philly--twice, Tampa (suddenly dangerous), Carolina, Atlanta, New Orleans, St. Louis and the Giants to finish up. Despite my completely moronic pre-season prediction (division title, NFC championship game) I don't like their chances to pull it together anytime soon.


Jets 31/ Lions 24
Lions WR Mike Furrey and Jets RB Leon Washington had great games.
Yeah, I don't know who the hell these guys are either.


Packers 32/ Dolphins 24
ok I lied. I know Furrey played for the Rams the last two seasons. That just shows you the depth that St. Louis has at WR. --anyway back to this game which comes as relief to the Packer faithful. Favre may have hung em up tonight had he lost to Joey Harrington. Instead he got a nice game from Ahman Green (118 yards) and inspired play by his defense and the Packers send the Dolphins further into their tailspin. Culpepper over Brees. Culpper over Brees. Culpepper over Brees. Sorry Nick Saban. I'm sadistic, what can I say?


Texans 27 /Jags 7
I should have figured that with all the injuries on defense and the bum ankle Leftwich was sporting the Texans would have more than a good shot of winning this game. Look out now, Houston has two wins and Carr has a QB rating over 90. Tennessee is next and Vince Young will be looking to prove something to the team that passed him up.


Bengals 17 / Panthers 14
I almost recorded this game but luckily I set the Tivo for the Atlanta game instead. Wise choice I think. A tough and quality win for the Bengals is nice I'm sure, but Cincy only interests me if they're scoring. I'm kind of shallow that way.


Patriots 28 / Bills 6
This matchup is so predictable it's almost sad. Sad that I don't bet on it every year that is.

NFL Picks: Week 7

With my Rams off this week I'll be rooting for the Vikings to upend the Seahawks at home. That and a TD-less game for T.O. It's not too much to ask for is it? ---On to the picks:


Jets over the Lions
I want to pick the Lions but I'm going with the Jets to pull one out at home.

Packers over Miami
Favre will have a good enough day to outshine Harrington. Wow. That statement shows you just how bad it's been for Bret Favre the past couple of years.

Eagles over the Bucs
McNabb and Co. are ready to roll again.

Chargers over the Chiefs
The Chiefs have been like Jekyll and Hyde this season while the Chargers should be undefeated.
Of course K.C. needs more of the Hyde personality because everyone knows Jekyll is a wuss.

Bengals over the Panthers
I'm thinking Cincy gets it in their heads this week that they're supposed to be good.

Patriots over the Bills
The Bills usually play the Pats tough. And maybe they will again. But they'll also lose again.

Steelers over the Falcons
Can Atlanta lose two straight at home? -- Yep.

Jaguars over the Texans
The Jags aren't getting much attention this year. A win over Houston won't really help.

Broncos over the Browns
If Plummer doesn't step it up then the cries for Cutler will only increase.

Colts over the Redskins
This may be the week the run defense kills the Colts. Portis could trash them. But I can't pick them with the way Brunnell and their defense played last week.

Seahawks over the Vikings
Seattle will roll at home against a so-so Viking team.

Cardinals over the Raiders
Leinart will live up to the promise he showed against the Bears.

Cowboys over the Giants
I hope I'm wrong about this one. I'm beginning to really hate the Cowboys. I'm talking Patriot level animosity here.

Last Week 9-4 (69%)

Overall: 64-22 (74%)

So What About College Football?

I know I've been neglecting college football in my posts. It's not that I'm not interested in the college game because I am. But I'll admit the passion is not there like it is for the NFL. I root for my in-state teams, Utah State (bad as usual) BYU (should be undefeated but blew what should have been an easy win at Arizona as well as handing a game to Boston College in double OT) and Utah (mediocre this year). But it's been tough to really get too interested in these teams when a screwy television deal that the Mountain West Conference has put together prevents me from seeing almost all of the BYU and Utah games on tv. What idiots from the MWC decided that it would be a good idea to create their own conference sports channel (called the "Mountain") without securing deals with the major satellite companies (Dish and DirectTV)? It's moronic.

Other college football thoughts on my mind include:


-My J.C. alma mater, Snow College is undefeated and ranked #1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll this week. For a J.C. team Snow has always been able to produce some really good players. In recent years, Josh Heupel (led Oklahoma to a National Championship) Kevin Curtis (WR for the St. Louis Rams), and 7 other current NFL players have played for the Badgers. Not bad for a school with enrollment less than 3,000. I know it's only jr. college football but its been fun to follow.


- I was hoping Florida could go undefeated this year. The SEC is just too good and because of that they get hosed in regards to the National Championship.

- The dismissal of QB Rhett Bomar, Adrian Peterson's injury, and the Oregon game screw-job, have made OU a hard luck team this year. I'll be interested to see whether it all becomes too much for the Sooners.

- I'm really looking forward to the Michigan/Ohio St. game.

-Two teams in the top 25 that I really would like to see lose a game or two before the season ends: Notre Dame and Texas

-Two teams in the top 25 that I would like to see win the rest of their game this season: Boise St. and West Virginia

The real story behind last night

Bears 24/ Cards 23
Yeah that was one of the craziest games I've ever watched. But after we get finished dumping on the Cardinals and praising the Bears defense and special teams we still have to deal with the fact that the Bears offense really sucked. Specifically Rex Grossman sucked donkeys. I mean that had to be one of the worst games I have ever seen a QB play. Four interceptions and two lost fumbles and a 38% completion rate. He almost single handedly lost that game. Only luck, some outstanding Bear hits and a some incredible stupid plays by the Cardinals saved Rex's ass. He's played great so far this season so maybe a letdown game was inevitable. But it looked like he was going for the home run on every play. Yeah Rex, we get it, you've thrown a few 40 yarders this season. Now try the 10 yard hook. It works sometimes. When playoff time comes the long bomb is not always going to be there. 6 minute drives with a few dink passes here and there can be a QBs best friend to open up the middle of the field as well as the bomb. If it sounds like I'm bagging on Grossman, ....well, I am. But it's out of love. Ok...not love because I'm not into Rex that much, but you know, I like to watch him throw a football.
Anyway, I'm glad that game came out like it did. I don't want the Cardinals getting better anytime soon. The Rams have their hands full with the Seahawks.

I have to mention just a couple of things about the Cardinals last night. An angry Dennis Green in the interview room is always good for a laugh. Also, two mistakes by Cardinal players really stood out last night. One is the missed block by the Cardinal offensive tackle Oliver Ross that resulted in Leinart getting blindsided and losing the ball for the first of Chicago's gift TDs. He might want to miss the film session when that one is played. The other mistake was the missed tackle on Devin Hester's punt return for a TD. Watch the replay again if you can. There is a Cardinal player who has a direct line on Hester and yet he is so worried about the guy who's going to block him that he forgets he is actually running down the field to tackle Hester. Then when Hester runs by him, he turns and is like "oh shit, that's the dude I want". Another blood vessel will pop in Green's neck when he watches that one.

NFL Thoughts: Week 6

You know what I'm having trouble with? Tivo. Specifically I'm struggling to keep from flipping to the end of games I've recorded but not seen. It takes all the fun out of watching games if you know the outcome, but I'll be honest, the temptation is almost killing me. So far I'm resisting. I'm a trooper and I don't know why my wife doesn't recognize this amazing display of self control as deserving of some kind of reward. Anyway I had a few observations from today's action:


Seahawks 30/Rams 28
Ouch. The Ram pass defense really let me down today. Tory Holt and Marc Bulger were on fire but they couldn't stop Hasselbeck when it counted. I really hate that bald guy. I mean I really really HATE that guy. I see now that having a Tom Brady voodoo doll is not enough. Believe me, Hasselbeck's effigy will be in the works tomorrow. Next time the Rams play the Seahawks this situation will be rectified. Seriously though, if they can't beat Seattle without Alexander I'm not sure they are ready to take the Seahawks division title away this year. And don't you just hate a turf field when you're praying for a missed field goal? arggg. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Excuse me while I go slam my fingers in a car door to ease the pain.


Giants 27/Falcons 14
If you like good running this was the game for you. Barber and Dunn were awesome and Vick had his usual spectacular play or two. But tell the truth, would you want Vick on your team if you fall behind and need a comeback? Playing with a lead is Vick's strength but once he's down, he's out. Also I thought more highly of the Falcon defense but I may have to rethink that after they gave up 259 yards rushing (185 to Barber) to the Giants. I only caught highlights of this one but it appears that despite early hiccups Elisha got it together for the second half. Still, Barber is the soul of this team. When he's on a roll the Giants usually win.


Saints 27/Eagles 24
It's not a total shocker with the way the Saints have been playing but it does merit a raised eyebrow or two doesn't it? I think the Saints defense is still a little suspect but their offense is for real. Brees, Bush, McAllister, Horn and some guy named Colston are bringing a little fire to the Superdome and it's kind of fun to watch. And by the way do you think Dolphin coach Nick Saban just sits at home at night giving himself paper cuts and wondering aloud, "Culpepper over Brees, Culpepper over Brees. What the hell was I thinking?!"



Cowboys 34/Texans 6
Yay. T.O. is back is scoring touchdowns and celebrating like the doofus he is.
We can all move on with our lives now.


Panthers 23/Ravens 21
McNair gets hurt again. Shocker. This guy is going to really feel it when he retires. I've got a father-in-law who punted in the NFL in the 70s and his body is a wreck now. I can't imagine how an NFL player who actually gets hit on a regular basis will feel after he's done playing. McNair may need a wheelchair. But his replacement, Kyle Boller played pretty decent actually. Still, I'm pretty sure the Raven fans aren't ready to start screaming for Boller. They've been down that road before and it was one of those winding suckers that get you lost in the middle of the night.
As for the Panthers; It's always nice to see Steve Smith get going again. When he does, Carolina is almost unbeatable.

Buccaneers 14/Bengals 13
What's up with Cincy? Their last two games have been absolutely mailed in and it's an embarrassment for a team that has Super Bowl dreams. You knew the Bucs would want that first win bad but I kinda figured the Bengals would show a little more spunk. Instead they ate a big bowl of bran flakes and laid a huge dookie on the field.


Denver 13/Raiders 3
I'm not sure which is more embarrassing, the Raiders winless season so far or the fact that the Broncos only put up 13 points on the Silver and Black. It's a toss up. The Bronco offense is not going anywhere in the playoffs (if they make it that far) unless Jake Plummer and that offense start playing better.


Jets 20/Dolphins 17
Did I already mention Nick Saban might be regretting the decision to sign Culpepper?. But hey Harrington is performing surprising well for the injured/benched Culpepper, and besides this was almost a win. That counts for...somethi......well....ok it doesn't mean squat but hey what about those Dolphin cheerleaders? A couple of them are really hot!


Detroit 20/Buffalo 17
At least they've got one of their touted wideouts picks playing well. Roy Williams is destroying cornerbacks at an alarming rate. Detroit may not be as bad as their record. They've botched some games they probably could have had. Sounds like something Mike Martz could have been involved in. But hey you know, a win is important for Detroit because they are starving for a winning team right now.......oh wait....


Titans 25/Redskins 22
Should I be surprised with this win after the Titans played Indy so tough last week? I'll admit it I'm still a bit shocked. I thought the Redskins would bounce back from last week's loss to NY. If Brunnell can't outplay an inexperienced Vince Young at this point then the Skins really are in trouble


Steelers 45/Chiefs 7
Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and Willie Parker all had an excellent game. No surprise with the results then. Said Roethlisberger, "I tried throwing to the guys in the black shirts rather than the guys in the white shirts." This man is a genius. Helmet, who needs a helmet?


Chargers 48/49ers 19
Does that score look like "marty ball"? After criticizing him early in the season, I'm willing to cut Schottenheimer some slack now. Two weeks in a row he's given Philip Rivers the green light to throw it and check out the result. Could the conservative coach rear his ugly head again come December and January? Of course but for now let's just enjoy the development of a star in the making. That'd be Rivers not Schottenheimer. I'll admit I was anti-Rivers the minute he held out for more cash when he was a rookie. Then when Brees became a Pro-Bowler as the kid from N.C. State sat on the bench I was further smugified (what? it's a word isn't it?) and I couldn't believe the Chargers were thinking of dumping Brees in favor of an untested 3rd year QB who hadn't shown much in the preseason games he had played so far. But as this year's preseason began I decided to not hold the past against Rivers anymore (very sporting of me don't you think?). I like the Chargers and I didn't want to root against them just because I had a beef with their general manager and precocious young QB. Granted if Rivers had stunk it up I probably would have hopped on my high horse and written nasty e-mails to Charger G.M. A.J. Smith. You know..because I'm sure he'd read them.... But rather than failing, Rivers has the gall to prove me wrong and the Chargers look like a title contender. And now I'm a gutless flipflopper and I'm riding the Philip River and San Diego Charger bandwagon. Hop on it's a fun!

NFL Picks: Week 6

I'm hoping to be able to see a few more games this week after a business trip limited my NFL viewing last week to the Charger/Steelers night game. How dare my work get in the way of a bag of chips and NFL football. It's not right. Anyway on to the picks:

Lions over the Bills
Detroit has found a way to blow games in imaginative ways. Finally this week they'll decide to win one for Matt Millen who has found imaginative ways to destroy an NFL franchise.

Panthers over the Ravens
The Ravens are home and should win this game. But McNair has looked worse than Delhomme and they'll lose by a field goal.

Giants over the Falcons
I know Vick is playing at home and their defense is swarming but the Giants showed me something last week.

Cowboys over the Texans
Houston is a perfect remedy for what ails the troubled Cowboys.

Redskins over the Titans
This pick is made tougher by the pooper that Washington laid last week and the tough game Tennessee played against Indy.

Bengals over the Bucs
Can Gradkowski put another good performance together? It's much easier to imagine Carson Palmer showing him how it's done.

Eagles over the Saints
The Eagles defense will harass Brees all day. Short passes won't cut it. Unless of course Bush takes a short pass all the way. Then I'll feel stupid.

Rams over the Seahawks
I know the Rams aren't as good as their 4-1 record but I'm going with my heart on this one.

Jets over the Dolphins
The Jets really stunk it up last week but they'll be at home and the Dolphins have stunk all season.

Steelers over the Chiefs
This is a tough one to pick. But Pittsburgh has got to start playing better sometime.---Don't they?

Chargers over the 49ers
It shouldn't be close

Broncos over the Raiders
Easiest pick of the week.

Bears over the Cardinals
Didn't Leinart pick apart the 1st string Chicago defense in the preseason? Of course the preseason also gave us a 3-1 Oakland Raider team....I'm just saying...

Last Week: 12-1 (92%)

Overall: 55-18 (75%)

NFL Thoughts: Week 5

Rams 23/Packers 20

I know the Rams' performances aren't really impressing anyone. But at least this season they are winning . Last year they lost these types of games. The frustrating thing for me is that other than last week's offensive explosion against the Lions, it's been all about how many field goals Jeff Wilkins can kick. But I'm not deluding myself. The Rams have to start playing better if they are going to beat the better teams that are coming up on their schedule. They got lucky with Packer cornerback Al Harris dropping a sure interception that would have gone for a TD, and a fumble by Favre when they were threatening to score and win the game. It was ugly and lucky. But I'll take it.

Bears 41/Bills 7

There will be no living with Greg from Sportsblah.com after this masterful performance from his posterboy Grossman and the dominant Chicago Bears. Not that I'd want to live with him....because you know..uh..that'd be weird.

Moving on...

Eagles 38/Cowboys 24
How giddy are most of us about Terrell Owens' crappy game against Philly? Ok stupid question. About as stupid as the non-stop media coverage of this game. The Eagle no-name receivers came through big against the Cowboy secondary and now McNabb is smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Frankly I was sick of this game before it was even played.


49ers 34/Raiders 20
It's nice to see Alex Smith and San Fran rebound from the whooping they took last week against the Chiefs. Can you call it a rebound if it's against Oakland though? Does that count? Technically the Raiders are in the NFL this year so I guess we'll give it to them.


Jaguars 41/Jets 0
It's just sad to me as a Patriot-hater that New England has basically had no competition in their division for....well.....forever. The Jets are still nowhere close to competing with the Pats for the automatic playoff spot. Jacksonville made NY look absolutely silly in about everyway possible. It was a bad day for Pennington (3 picks) but credit the Jags defense. After being lit up last week they came back strong.


Chiefs 23/Cardinals 20
Huard looked good, Leinart looked good. That's a positive for both teams. Edgerrin James still can't find any running room (just 78 yards) and really his running style (which involves a whole lot of dancing and waiting for blocks) requires either an outstanding offensive line or a high powered passing game that will open up the run. So far he's had neither. But maybe Leinart can start to change that. I'll admit I was surprised he had as good of game as he did in his first start.


Patriots 20/Dolphins 10
Joey Harrington starting at QB actually made some Dolphin fans happy. That tells you all you need to know about how their season is going.


Saints 24/ Bucs 21
Rookie Bucs QB Bruce Gradkowski deserves credit for a good game. So does Saints running back Deuce McAllister. Deuce is really going to get hosed this year when it comes to getting recognition for his play. He's probably going to have a great year and no one is going to notice because Reggie Bush is in the same backfield. Bush's punt return TD obviously deserves the attention it will get. But what about that amazing run by McAllister in the first half? Imagine if it had been Bush and not McAllister that had that 57 yard dodging and tackle shedding run. You know it would be replayed for two weeks. Deuce will be lucky if he even makes the highlights tonight.


Panthers 20/Browns 12
Scrappy Browns...but also crappy Browns. Carolina still doesn't look like they are the Super Bowl contender pegged by many in the preseason, but their defense led by Julius Peppers is playing well.


Giants 19/Redskins 3
Solid game by the Giants' Tiki Barber and Eili Manning. The NY defense also did a nice job of stopping the Skins' Santana Moss and Clinton Portis. This one hurts for Washington who had been starting to click on offense. You know what this means don't you? Only the Eagles have a winning record in the NFC East. Yep, that's the team most of us picked to finish last in the division.

Vikings 26/Lions 17
John Kitna's late mistakes screwed the Lions. Going into the 4th quarter they just had to avoid giving the Vikes any freebies. What happened instead was a gift-wrapped job by Kitna and the Lions offense. Hey at least the Pistons' NBA season is starting soon.

Chargers 23/Steelers 13
San Diego's Phillip Rivers is pretty impressive so far. I like his arm strength and poise. He had the entire Steeler defense along with Cowher's kitchen sink thrown at him and he made some great throws and avoided costly mistakes. I laughed at Madden and Al Michaels when they said late in the game that Marty Schottenheimer is not going to change the way he coaches just because of criticism. But that's exactly what happened. The Chargers were throwing the ball late in the game with a slim lead and I'm positive it just about killed Shottenheimer to do it. But he knew he was going to get slaughtered in the press and by the fans if they didn't throw it and then they ended up losing again. Rivers is convincing me he is the real deal and the Chargers ought to let him show it.

Colts 14/Titans 13
It's a win for the Colts. But an embarrassing one. Like the time I farted on my first date type embarrassing. Fortunately for the Colts their game worked out better than my date did.

NFL Picks: Week 5

I've heard some people call this a "make or break" week for many teams. It's a little early for a win to mean anyone has made it, but it is true that a loss just might break a few. Here's my picks for this week.

Patriots over the Dolphins
Right now this is a no-brainer.

Saints over the Bucs
Brees needs to get it in the endzone more often but overall he's looking pretty good. On the other hand a rookie (Gradkowski) on the road for his first start is usually not a good thing.

The Giants over the Redskins
NY is at home and has had time to prepare with the bye week. And maybe Shockey and Coughlin kissed and made up....or not. I'm pretty iffy about this one because the Skins offense is starting to kick into gear.

The Lions over the Vikings
The Detroit offense is also starting to click. Roy Williams is killing cornerbacks.

Panthers over the Browns
The Browns just aren't that good. I mean they almost lost to the Raiders.

Bears over the Bills
This could be a trap game for the Bears. They are feeling pretty good about themselves. But I guess they have reason to.

Rams over the Packers
The Packers are due for some good luck aren't they? I hope it's not this week against my Rams.

Colts over the Titans
Vince Young might find some running room (everyone else has against the Colts) but the opposing QB is just a tad bit more experienced. And better.

Jaguars over the Jets
Both need this to stay in the hunt. It should be close but Jacksonville kicks a field goal to win it.

Chiefs over the Cardinals
I don't know if I believe in Damon Huard yet but at least we have an example of him succeeding this season. Arizona is stilling waiting on that. Leinart's first start should be interesting.

Eagles over the Cowboys
Philly will play like this is the Super Bowl. I don't know if that's a good thing though.

Chargers over the Steelers
If Schottenheimer can ever break out of his conservative mindset, Rivers might just develop into a great QB. Ward is still hurting and Roethlisberger has flat out sucked so far.

Broncos over the Ravens
In an ugly game kicker Jason Elam comes through again.

Last Week: 9-5

Season: 43-17

Baseball and Me

So the Major League Baseball playoffs have started. Yay. Super. I'm so excited I'm going to go right out and buy a bag of Cracker Jack. You know just so I can get in the mood. Wait just a tick, I don't need any extra stimulation. I mean we have an abundance of excitement in the National League alone. Sure most of the teams in the Senior Circuit lost almost as many games as they won this season but that's no reason to believe these playoffs won't be magical. At least they have that young stud Ryan Howard who cranked a million homers this season right? What? Wrong? Crap. But they've got some great pitchers right? What? No Pedro? Crap. But hey we've got the American League. The upstart and scrappy A's, Tigers, and Twins are all in it. Great seasons. Then there is the Yankees. I mean who doesn't love these guys? Oh yeah....me.

Pardon my cynicism. This could turn out to be a great postseason with late inning heroics and nailbiting games. Seriously, I mean who knows? And actually there are a couple of things interesting to me this postseason. Not enough to get me to watch games until perhaps the ALCS but you know interesting enough that I might read about it. First, what will Pujols do? He's one of the biggest names playing still and he had a nice game last night. Can he keep it up? And second, can anyone beat the Yankees? For the second straight year, the pinstripe boys started the season struggling to win games and right away Yankee haters started crowing and Yankee lovers started moaning. This is always fairly humorous early in the season. When are people going to realize that in a 162 game season if you have as much talent as the Yankees, they will always be in the postseason. Always. When was the last time they missed it? 1994. Think about that. 12 straight years. And they aren't going away anytime soon. Sure it's been nice seeing them lose the last 5 years in the postseason but that can't last, not with the firepower they have year in and year out. What's that you say? Pitching wins championships? Well last time I looked the Yanks had some decent guys winging it as well. And then there is Jeter. Clutch.
I hope someone can beat them. I really do. My preference would be for the Twins to do it. I love Santana and they pretty much are the anti-Yankees so it would be fitting. But I'm not holding my breath. Only A-Rod is doing that. That's why the lips are purple.

NFL Thoughts: Week 4

This is the second Sunday this year that I've had an incredible amount of time and freedom to flip between channels on my NFL satellite package. Usually I'm gone part of the day and I will Tivo 2 or 3 games to watch when I get home. With the wife taking the kids today I skipped my religious obligations (It's a forgone conclusion that I'm going to hell anyway) and thus was left to hang out in sweats, ignore the shower, eat donuts......essentially live the American dream. In my joyful slothfulness I realized a couple of things about NFL football on Sundays: 1. The uneven distribution of 1 pm Eastern and 4 pm Eastern starting times for games really bugs me as a T.V. viewer. I'm left to madly try and click between numerous games I'm interested in during the earlier starting time while the later starting time only features a few games. Granted I was able to concentrate more during the Rams game today which started later, but in principle I hate this arrangement. Why not even them out? ---- and 2. I really hate Joe Buck. Why does the Fox network believe we want to hear and see more of this humongous dork to the point that they would put him on their pregame show as well as their number one game? Because he is an annual Emmy award winner? Joe Buck and the words "award winning broadcaster" make me want to hurl. It's like TV execs are consciously and deliberately trying to alienate their viewers. That's also the only explanation for Joe Theismann continuing his inexplicable run in television. But I digress. I do have some thoughts on the actual games I saw today. So without further babbling......on to further babbling about the action



Rams 41/Lions 34
I didn't realize how much I now dislike...no make that hate... Mike Martz. As he was grinning stupidly and high-fiving players on the sideline after Lion touchdowns, I literally wanted to reach into the tv and pull his eyeglasses off and stuff them down his throat. Now I know how opponents felt about this guy when the Rams were winning and Martz was acting like the douchebag he is. I know... I know... I sound a little bitter about a guy who helped the Rams win a Super Bowl. But he also destroyed piece by piece that same Super Bowl team. So the feelings run deep. Anyway this win almost caused heart damage for me as it see-sawed back and forth. The Ram offense finally got on track and Bulger looked the best he has all year long. They are still not getting some key weapons involved like WR Kevin Curtis but Holt and Bruce were in fine form and RB Steven Jackson had some decent runs despite a bit of an off day for him.
I'll tell you what though, the Lions have a good receiver in Roy Williams. It's taken some time to get him productive on the field but he is starting to really show big time ability. Sure he's a loudmouth dork but he is proving that at least one of the highly publicized WR 1st round picks made by Matt Millen might just make it. If the Lion offense can play like this every week they are going to start winning some games. And yes that's a compliment towards Mike Martz (the putz).


Falcons 32/Cardinals 10
So if you are Kurt Warner and you know that fumbling the ball is what's really pissing your coach off; don't you be extra careful today with the ball? Alas, Warner just can't help himself. As he is rolling right and a Falcon defender is chasing him (even the replay showed that Kurt was aware he was coming) he continued to hold the ball carelessly and of course it was stripped and recovered by the Falcons. It's an all-too familiar scene for Rams fans and so it wasn't surprising at all for me to see Green replace him soon thereafter. It may be Leinart's show from here on out. If Warner could eliminate turnovers he would be a solid QB-- but he can't-- so he isn't. On the flip side Falcons QB Mike Vick holds the ball the same way in traffic but the difference is he is quick enough to get away with it more. Not always, as we have seen in crucial situations but at least enough to keep it from being a major issue each week. Again this week he ran well (101 yards) and with Warrick Dunn having an off game, rookie RB Jerious Norwood came through spectacularly. Still if there is a sore spot for the Falcons it has to be their redzone offense. It really stinks. They are a field goal kicker's delight. Six field goals toady for 20 of their points. Now I'm partial to field goal kicking, but even I know that if your game ball keeps going to Morten Anderson you're pretty much screwed.

Cowboys 45/Titans 14
It's too bad T.O. is on this team because Terry Glenn is the Cowboys best receiver and should be talked about more . He only had 54 yards but two really nice TDs from Bledsoe. And Bledsoe by the way is usually pretty awesome when he has time to knit a sweater in the pocket. Which is what he had with the Titans pass rush. Tennessee just really sucks. The team that is.....not the state. Put down your shotguns people.
Vince Young wasn't good but for a first start it was a performance that at least wasn't Kerry Collins-ish bad. He has promise and the Titans hope the talent catches up to the promise soon. At least we don't have to worry about his ego suffering. He seems confident enough to withstand some bad games. Also unrelated to the ego.....is it just me or has his head grown a few cap sizes since college? I didn't watch enough Texas games I guess. Has that melon always been that big?


Colts 31/Jets 28
Either the Jets are better than I thought or the Colts are worse than I thought. Really NY had a good shot at winning this game and perhaps without a generous pass interference call near the end they would have. The kickoff return TD for the Jets made it interesting but once the Colts had the ball back with at least 2 minutes left you had to know what the outcome was going to be. After all it's not the playoffs yet.


Ravens 16/Chargers 13
The Chargers defense took a bit of a blow in their battle to be the best. After both defenses dominated for much of the game, the Bolts let Steve McNair carve them up in the final minute. I thought Schottenheimer of course got too conservative with about 5 minutes left in the game. He talks about opening it up but really when the 4th quarter comes around his teams resort to "predictable plays 101". Rivers didn't have a great game but he didn't embarrass himself either. That's a good sign and bodes well for the rest of the season.



Browns 24/Raiders 21
I actually tuned in for a few plays of this game. I wish I hadn't.


Redskins 36/Jags 30
It took the Skins 2 losses to realize what worked for them last year. Get the ball to Santana Moss. He's fast and good and makes Mark Brunell look better than he really is. But credit Brunell for finding his playmakers and playing much better than he did the first two weeks of the season. The Jags have lost two tough games in a row now and they have to start winning these types of game if they want to be a playoff team this year.


Patriots 38/Bengals 13
Now we know why the Colts were so pissed when the Pats stole Laurence Maroney from them in the draft. He's going to have the best year of all the rookie running backs. He runs fast and hard and sheds tacklers like a young Corey Dillon. And speaking of Dillon he's not running too bad either. If this continues then Brady won't have to carry this offense and he can just get back to being the idiot magician that he is. This was just a real can of whoop ass that was opened up on the Bengals. They were getting a little full of themselves and leave it the Pats to show them that they haven't accomplished anything yet (except populate several county jails).


Texans 17 /Dolphins 15
The question Miami has to be wondering is "does it get worse before it gets better?" Right now the future looks an awful lot like the past. That means terrible QB play and physical ugly games that often times don't come out in their favor. It was the Texans for Hell's sake. Oyy..
--For the Texans, Andre Johnson continues to excel and at least Mario Williams got a sack. Hey, Bush doesn't have a touchdown yet and I'm sure Williams probably would point that out if he wasn't such a nice guy.


Panthers 21/Saints 18
Drew Brees continues to have efficient numbers. His day puts him atop fantasy boards (28/38 349 yards, 1 TD) and yet something is missing. His 3rd down numbers against Carolina weren't so hot (Saints were 4-11 for the game) and so far he hasn't looked for field stretching plays enough this year. I know the west coast offense can work but at it's worst it's just a cowardly way of throwing the ball. I'm a big Brees fan so this is hard to admit considering his numbers but I think he can play much better. Still the Saints are a tough defense so maybe he just took what was available. Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Smith continue to be a nice compliment to each other and finally the Panther running game looks good. Foster and Williams really played well against the Saints defense.


Bills 17/Vikings 12
These Bills might just become the team that nobody wants to play. They played that role a couple of years ago and today they proved that if they don't make a ton of mistakes they can hang in there. Losman particularly avoided doing the stupid things that have plagued him the past. Brad Johnson on the other hand made more mistakes than I usually see. They never really got Chester Taylor going and as a team they had some really stupid penalties. They are not going to challenge the Bears this year. Also what's with their new uniforms? They suck. I like the old ones much better.



Bears 37 /Seahawks 6
I guess Seattle really misses Alexander. Or Chicago's defense is that good. Probably a bit of both. Or the defense thing. Yeah I'm thinking the defense thing. The Bears can stop people and now they can avoid being stopped. Grossman is playing extremely well and it's just too bad that Brian Griese can't play for a team that really needs him. Because there are a lot of teams that need him including the one that let him go (cough... Gruden..cough..) But back to Grosmann. He's playing great and torching defenses with mistake free efficiency. As of now the Bears look like the best team in the NFC.



Chiefs 41/49ers 0
Talk about taking a step backwards. This game mirrored last year's performances for Alex Smith and the 49er offense. I thought they would really take it to a vulnerable K.C. team. And I really didn't expect the Chiefs and particularly Damon Huard to play as well as they did. But then again I didn't expect Janet Jackson to show me her boob during a Super Bowl halftime show either. Shit happens.

Packers/Eagles
Update to come